Book Review – Ngā Kete Mātauranga

Jacqui Thompson*

Ngā Kete Mātauranga: Māori scholars at the research interface Jacinta Ruru & Linda Waimarie Nikora (eds) Otago University Press (February 2021)

Writing a book review is a very subjective experience. And that is particularly so when you do not have a lot of experience or a real connection to the subject material, which is the case with this review. I feel totally unqualified to review Ngā Kete Mātauranga because I am not an academic or Māori, and also in part, because of my relatively privileged background.1

However, I am fascinated by this book and the insights it offers. And I hope that fascination will excuse the presumption of writing this review. The book offers a glimpse into a world that I am light years from understanding, and probably can never do so, as I lack the cultural context. I have therefore tried to keep the review descriptive and not to interpret meanings.

Ngā Kete Mātauranga is a collection of stories from 24 Māori scholars. The authors describe their own journeys into the world of incorporating Māori knowledge into research in a holistic way. Most of the scholars – but not all - are based in universities around the country.

I sent a draft copy of my review to one of the coeditors, Professor Jacinta Ruru, and she was kind enough to respond. She said that the editors had in mind three audiences when writing this book;

“1) Māori: to inspire whānau to dream big for their tamariki, that they can go to University and love any discipline and be successful.

2) Tertiary leaders/institutional bosses because the work to make the research sector more welcoming of Māori cannot and should not be the work of Māori scholars alone. To this end we provide eight key messages in conclusion.2

3) The nation: we really really wanted this book to be for everyone, for anyone interested in Māori experiences by Māori who are highly successful across a range of different disciplines to collectively see the strength of our collective experiences and our hope and hurt and optimism for the future (the rollercoaster of experiences).”

The book itself is beautiful. The photos by Grant Maiden are stunning. Maiden specialises in photographing people, and his skill in this area clearly shows. Each of the subjects is photographed in a place or with people, pictures or objects that mean something to them. The authors then explain the background to the photo. Often, they are in the places they grew up in as children, moved away from for jobs or family, but were drawn back to as adults. Each picture provides some insight into why and how the authors have developed into who they are.

Throughout the book there are drawings contributed by artist Heramaahina Eketone. These show Māori symbols, each telling a story in its own right. Some of them are simple shapes such as the spiral and some are more complex, such as te kete-aronui. Each of them is placed in context of its meaning or relevance.

The use of the term scholar is very apt. The authors are not just “academics”, in the sense that they are divorced from everyday life. Their learning informs their relationships and aspirations. But at the foundation is a strong identification with the place from where each scholar comes, and their connection to their whānau, hāpu and iwi. Importantly, as you read through this book, the theme of the loss of whenua carries both poignancy and anger.

The world of the Māori academic is not an easy one. According to Professor Ruru, while she has loved her job, it has been hard in a racial way, and intellectually lonely.3 When she started her career as a lecturer, there were about ten Māori teaching in five law schools across the country. Things have not improved with the increase to six law schools. Across all the disciplines, the tertiary sector employs a static 5% Māori. This book therefore has an important role in building understanding and bringing about needed changes in the tertiary sector, where tensions between Māori academics and Universities have been on the rise.

In 2020, Waikato University commissioned an independent review into claims of racism and flaws in an employment process undertaken by the leadership. The Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies sent a letter, a statement under Protected Disclosure to the Secretary for Education.

The report made some key findings that will not surprise anyone in any institution or company or organisation. It said:4

“[O]n the one hand, the University markets itself and is perceived as having and practicing a deep commitment to Māori; while on the other, its structures, operations, world view and knowledge base arise out of our settlement history, embody or adhere to western university culture and tradition.”

The report also said that there was an overwhelming account of daily negative interactions, and systemic pressures, processes and events, that had been repeated over many years. Powerfully it made the comment that “… [t]he emotional tenor of the submissions, was of individual and collective exhaustion. Yet hopeful…”

Back to the book. I stumbled across it after reading one of the essays online. Rāhui I roto – reading the signs on a journey into Māori law is the story of how Māmari Stephens became a lawyer and how she gained her understanding of tikanaga Māori. It is a journey into law and mātauranga. It is beautifully written and evocative of growth from childhood to adulthood. If like me, you are happy to read the stories in any order, this is a very accessible place to start, and one that encourages all to learn about Māori knowledge by pointing out the understanding we already have. Her story is poignant, but it carries a sense of coming home.

I was surprised to find that some of the most interesting stories were from people who were in disciplines that I can’t even pretend to understand, such as economic theory. Dr Shaun Awatere is Senior Kairangahau Māori at Landcare Research New Zealand. His research questions whether the costbenefit analysis is appropriate for environmental decision-making in Aotearoa? Dr Awatere’s view is that quantitative economic measures cannot absorb Māori values into econometric models, as they do not accommodate the subjective positioning of iwi and hapū.5 Ultimately, economic modelling techniques are always deficient because of the difficulty of capturing and anticipating all impacts and valuing them appropriately:6

“Hence it is appropriate that other perspectives be considered. For moral reasons, ethical, social, and cultural considerations should be examined equally alongside economics in environmental decisionmaking. There is no harm in using underlying moral considerations to guide decision-making on resource allocation.” Finding Tahu is written by Dr Tahu Kukutai, who specialises in Māori and indigenous demographic research. I am not going to spoil the story of who Tahu was and why the author wanted to find her. But this is an example of how the smaller stories within the larger articles add immeasurably to this book and to the understanding by the non-Māori (even though this understanding will always be abstract at best).

Dr Kukutai has been working on iwi projects that have demonstrated the limitations of mainstream demographic theory. She asked the question of what the true population for Māori looks like, and how the data practices and systems can be refashioned to centre around Māori concepts, mātauranga, tikanga and priorities. In doing so she hopes to “travel across dual spheres of dissection and connection, without getting lost.”

It is impossible to cover the 24 scholars in the space of this review. From Associate Professor Ocean Ripeka Mercier van Berkel, who trained in physics and now looks at the connection between mātauranga Māori and science, through to political scientist, Maria Bargh, they suggest for non-Māori, a different and viable way of seeing the world. My favourite chapter? That it is easy: “The Science of Māori Astronomy” by Professor Rangi Matamua. Who doesn’t love stories about the stars? It is the kind of tale that makes you want to extend an instant dinner invitation, so you can learn more over a glass of red wine.

This book was challenging to read, particularly for someone trained in a discipline that wants concrete evidence in written format and applies a standard of objectivity based on a bus in South London7. But the collection of stories gives me hope that there are better ways of thinking about the future and organising ourselves in Aotearoa New Zealand — ways that will include valuing people and the environment, alongside economic benefit. These values and their weighting might significantly change our decision-making for the benefit of all.

*Jacqui Thompson is the Executive Director of the NZBA.

REFERENCES

1 An excellent review has been written by Dr Tara McAllister, “Disturbing the Discipline: Reflections on Ngā Kete Mātauranga” https://pantograph-punch. com/posts/nga-kete-matauranga, (accessed 11/12/21). 2 Jacinta Ruru & Linda Waimarie Nikora (eds) Ngā Kete Mātauranga: Māori scholars at the research interface (Otago University Press, 2021) p276 et seq. 3 Above at n2, p15. 4 Hon Hekia Parata and Sir Harawira Gardiner “Independent review into public claims of racism at the University of Waikato” (University of Waikato, 2020) p6 https://cms.its.waikato.ac.nz/major-projects/taskforce/?a=629577 (accessed 11/12/21). 5 Above at n2, p78 6 Above at n2, p79 7 The man on the Clapham omnibus – the hypothetical ordinary or reasonable person, against whose behaviour we measured others.